Multi-configurable absorbent article

ABSTRACT

An absorbent article is provided with closure means for securing the article about the waist of a wearer. The article may be worn in a belt type configuration or a slip type configuration. Belt means are provided which are maintained in a retracted position along a rear panel of the article. Releasable attachment means allow the belt to be extended partially or fully. Fasteners on the front panel may be secured to the respective belt means in a slip type configuration, in which the belt means are in a partially or fully retracted configuration. A belt type configuration may be created in a fully extended configuration of the respective belt portions, in which the belt ends may be fastened to each other about the waist of a wearer. The article may have a substantially constant or same size in both the slip or belt type configurations.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles. In the presentcontext, the term: “absorbent article”, is intended to include anyabsorbent article useful in the field of personal hygiene. The absorbentarticle of the present disclosure is particularly intended to be adiaper-type article for use by infants, young children or adults for thecontainment, control and absorption of liquid or solid bodily waste,although other applications or uses of the product may readily beenvisaged.

BACKGROUND

In published patent application WO 03/017902, an absorbent article, suchas a diaper, is disclosed, in which a front region, a crotch region anda rear region may be attached to a wearer by means of belt members andfasteners. In particular, two belt members, each one projectinglaterally outwardly from the rear region of the article, may be joinedto each other about the waist of a wearer. Fasteners provided on aninside surface of the front region then ensure that the front region maybe secured to the belt, to thereby generate a pant-like garment aboutthe wearer. Another example of a belt-type absorbent product isdescribed in US patent application publication US2002/0193776, in whicha belt is provided having a first and a second portion, each of whichmay be restrained on an inside surface of the article in a retractedposition by releasable attachment means.

A further absorbent article is described in document WO 95/19753.According to this document, a diaper type garment is provided with beltmembers projecting laterally from the rear panel of the garment, eachbelt member having attachment means at its distal end for connection ofa respective belt member about the waist of a wearer, to either theother belt member, or to corresponding attachment portions provided onan outer surface of the front panel of the garment. In this way, thegarment may be configured for use in either a slip-type configuration,(sometimes known as a brief-type configuration), in which the distal endof each belt member is drawn part-way about the waist of a wearer andattached to a corresponding portion of the front panel, or in abelt-type configuration, in which the respective ends of the belts areconnected together about the waist of a wearer, with the front panelbeing subsequently secured to the belt by means of fasteners at itslateral edges. As can readily be seen from WO 95/19753 however, adiscrepancy arises in the sizing of the garment, when it is worn in oneor the other configuration. Specifically, owing to the bridging effectof the front panel between the respective ends of the belt, in theslip-type configuration of the garment, the slip-type configurationgenerates a larger waist circumference than the belt-type configurationof the same article. A poor fit of the article ensues, unless multiplesizes are stored for a single user, in case of use in one or otherconfiguration. In addition, the lateral edges of the front panel may beunrestrained in the slip-type configuration of the product, which mayinvite instability of the lateral portions of the front panel andconsequent leakage, especially in case of an active wearer.

Also known in the art are diapers which may be provided in a so-calledslip-type configuration only, in which, as mentioned, side panels of thearticle are attached to each other about the waist of a wearer. U.S.Pat. No. 4,051,854 discloses a closure means for an absorbent articlewhich may be provided either on a slip-type garment or on a belt-typegarment.

A further absorbent article is known from EP-A-1110529, which isdescribed as comprising a belt attached to a rear panel of the article.The belt is restrained in a storage position by means of releasableattachments, and may be deployed for use by releasing the respectivereleasable attachments. In use, the two free belt portions, projectingeither side of the rear panel, may be joined together enclosing thewaist of a wearer and also enclosing the front panel of the article, onwhich fastener means are applied. Alternatively, the article may be wornin a slip-type configuration, by connecting the belt ends to the outersurface of the front panel. Since, in both cases, the belts must befastened when in a fully extended condition of the belts, there exists asizing discrepancy between the belt-type and the slip-typeconfiguration, because of the bridging effect of the front panel.EP-A-0528282 discloses a diaper type article having belt portionsprojecting from each lateral side of a rear panel. The article isintended to be worn in a belt-type configuration, by joining the beltportions about the waist of a wearer and bringing the front panel intoposition by means of fasteners on the lateral edges of the front panelwhich are secured against portions of the belt around the external sideof the rear panel of the article. The front and rear panels aregenerously proportioned in their lateral dimensions and overlap eachother substantially when the article is worn. In some cases, the frontpanel may be fastened against the rear panel without first fastening thebelt portions to each other. In such a case the belt portions would lieon the inside of the rear panel causing discomfort and a poor fit.

WO 01/21120 discloses an absorbent article which has a crotch portionbetween a front and a rear panel. The rear portion, at its lateral sideregions, is provided with laterally projecting attachment flaps whichmay respectively be fastened to side regions of the front panel in orderto configure the article in a slip-type configuration for wear. Theflaps are formed as belt portions of a continuous belt which is attachedto the internal surface of the rear panel and which comprises folds, forallowing a certain extensibility of the belt length within the rearpanel against an elastic bias. The garment described can be worn only ina slip-type configuration.

The design feature in the art, according to which absorbent articles maybe worn in either a belt-type or a slip-type configuration, has beendeveloped in order to accommodate different end-user requirements andpreferences. Nevertheless, in each of the known articles of this type, asize discrepancy exists between the two configurations of the product.Such a size discrepancy may conceivably be compensated for by the use ofelastics, although in such a case, the product will tend to be tighterin the belt-type configuration, thereby causing discomfort to a wearer.

Many users of absorbent articles may have limited physical strength andlimited dexterity. Configuration and application of such articles can beproblematic in terms of the force requirements needed to configure thearticle, and also the directions in which respective forces are to beapplied. In addition, the limb movement of a wearer or user, whenapplying a force (e.g. opening or closing the garment), need to be takeninto account when designing absorbent articles, because certain limbactions are more difficult to perform than others, when applying aforce.

There is a need for an absorbent article of the above-mentioned type,which may be configured in a flexible manner, which does not causediscomfort, and wherein the sizing is substantially the same,irrespective of the manner in which the article is configured. There isfurthermore a need to provide additional constructional flexibility ofabsorbent articles, while maintaining material costs at a minimum level.There is furthermore a need to provide an absorbent article which allowseasier configuration for use by users. Users of the articles includewearers of the articles and also carers for those who wear the absorbentarticles.

In addition, there is a need to keep material usage of such articles toa minimum, for reasons of cost, and in order to reduce the bulkiness ofthe articles on a wearer. Furthermore, there can be an advantage fromreducing the surface area of a wearer which is covered by the article,because prolonged contact between such articles and the skin of a wearermay in some cases cause irritation and discomfort. In devising sucharticles, care needs to be taken to ensure that the article constructiontakes into account the needs for comfort and good fit on a wearer.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure sets out to provide an improved absorbentarticle. In particular, embodiments of the present invention provide animproved absorbent article which addresses the various aspects mentionedabove.

In this regard, embodiments of the present invention provide anabsorbent article having a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent coretherebetween; said absorbent article comprising a body panel having alongitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction and a transverseaxis extending in a lateral direction, said body panel furthercomprising a crotch region between a front panel and a rear panel, saidcrotch region and said front and rear panels each having an interiorface and an exterior face; said absorbent article including a belthaving a first belt portion and a second belt portion; said first andsecond belt portions each having a distal portion extending laterallyfrom a respective connection region, at which connection region, saidbelt portion is joined to said rear panel; a belt fastener beingprovided near a distal end of at least one of said belt members whichfastener is capable of securing said first and second belt members toeach other about the waist of a wearer; wherein a releasable attachmentis provided in association with each respective said first and saidsecond belt portion which, when in an attached condition, secures saidbelt portions in a retracted configuration, in which retractedconfiguration a distal region of each said belt portion is releasablyrestrained directly or indirectly against said exterior face of saidrear panel and whereby upon release of said releasable attachment, anextended configuration of respective said belt portion is formed,wherein in which extended configuration, said belt portions may bejoined to one-another by means of said belt fastener.

In other words, an absorbent article is provided with closure means forsecuring the article about the waist of a wearer. The article may beworn in a belt type configuration or a slip type configuration. Beltmeans are provided which are maintained in a retracted position along arear panel of the article. Releasable attachment means allow the belt tobe extended partially or fully. Fasteners on the front panel may besecured to the respective belt means in a slip type configuration, inwhich the belt means are in a partially or fully retractedconfiguration. A belt type configuration may be created in a fullyextended configuration of the respective belt portions, in which thebelt ends may be fastened to each other about the waist of a wearer. Thearticle may have a substantially constant or same size in both the slipor belt type configurations.

The term “belt”, as claimed is to be understood to mean “belt means”,and is intended to describe a longitudinal, generally planar member,which may be secured about the waist of a wearer by one or morefasteners. Although embodiments of the invention are defined in terms ofa belt having two belt portions, it will be evident that whilst it ispossible to provide two belt portions, each one projecting from arespective opposite lateral region of a waist panel, additional belts orbelt portions may be provided, as a matter of choice in order to ensurecomfort and a secure fit. In addition, the belt may be provided as asingle continuous belt with first and second portions projectinglaterally from the rear panel of the absorbent article, or as separatebelt portions, a first and a second portion of which may be attached toan opposite lateral portion of the rear panel in such a way as toproject laterally therefrom. The respective belt portions may beattached to the rear panel by any suitable means. The term: “connectionregion”, should be understood to designate that part of the absorbentarticle which joins the rear panel to the belt.

Each belt portion has a distal portion which projects laterally awayfrom the connection portion and thereby forms a free end of therespective belt portion. The distal portion comprises the length of therespective belt portion starting from the connection region and endingat a distal end. The distal end encompasses the end edge of the distalportion of the belt portion as well as a distal end region of the saidbelt portion, the distal end region lying inward of the distal end ordistal end edge, and having a dimension, for example between one andfive finger widths from the said distal end edge. A connection regionbetween belt portions and the rear panel may be provided on an inside oron an exterior surface of the rear panel. In case a connection region ofa belt portion is provided on an interior surface of the rear panel, thebelt may wrap around the lateral side edge of the panel to the exteriorside where it may be restrained in its retracted position. The wrappingof the belt around the side edge of the rear panel may be arranged suchthat the belt portion which is wrapped does not protrude beyond the sideedge of the rear panel. In this context any amount by which the wrappedportion may appear to project beyond the lateral side edge would not bea useful amount.

Each panel of the absorbent article has an internal and an externalsurface, the internal surface being the body facing surface. In the sameway, the belt or belt portions have an internal or inside surface which,in an extended state of belt, faces a wearer's body. An external oroutside surface of the belts or belt portions or body panel or partsthereof is the surface facing away from wearer.

The absorbent article of the disclosure may be configured by a userselectively either in a slip-type configuration, or in a belt-typeconfiguration. In both cases, the front panel may be attached to thebelt portions. In order to generate the slip type configuration, thefront panel may be brought into engagement with the belt portions intheir retracted configuration in which they are held directly orindirectly against the exterior of the rear panel by means of thereleasable attachment, in which configuration, the belt portions do notprotrude laterally or do not protrude laterally to any significant oruseful extent, beyond the side edges of the rear panel. In a belt-typeconfiguration, the front panel may be secured to the belt portions whichthemselves are in an extended configuration following release of thefirst releasable attachments and joined about the waist of a wearer. Theabsorbent article of the disclosure allows a flexible configuration ofthe article for use, and in particular, allows such flexibility whilemaintaining comfort and good fit for a wearer. The provision ofreleasable attachments in association with the exterior side of the rearpanel allows the belt portions to be held at least partially on anexterior surface of the article. In this way, there may be prevented acertain bunching of the belt portions on the inside of the article whichwould occur when worn by a user in a slip type configuration, if thebelt portions were, for example, to be stored unrestrained on aninterior face of the rear panel. Furthermore, since belt fasteners arefrequently more rigid than belt material, there can be discomfortarising from such fasteners being present on an interior surface of anabsorbent article.

In a further embodiment, one or more panel fasteners may be provided inorder to secure the front panel to the belt about the waist of a wearerin either an attached condition of the releasable attachments or in areleased condition of said releasable attachments. Two configurationsthereby generated may respectively correspond to a slip-typeconfiguration or a belt-type configuration.

In a retracted configuration of a belt portion, the distal end region ofthe belt is releasably attached directly or indirectly to the exteriorof the rear panel by means of a releasable attachment. This attachmentof the distal end region of the belt to the rear panel includesembodiments in which the distal end region of the belt is attached to atissue layer overlying a portion of the rear panel, which tissue layeracts as a retainer for the belt portion(s). The retracted form of thebelt may be a suitable configuration for packaging and shipping, as wellas for use of the article in a slip-type configuration in certainembodiments. Whilst the distal portions of the belt portions areintended to be held directly or indirectly against an exterior surfaceof the rear panel in retracted positions of the belt portions, accordingto embodiments of the invention, the connection region between any beltportion and rear panel may nevertheless be located on either an insideor and exterior side of the rear panel with the distal portion beingpositioned or folded as necessary.

A releasable attachment may be applied to internal or to externalsurfaces of a belt portion. In this way, the respective belt portions,in a folded condition, may have their distal end region secured to theoutside surface of the rear panel. Alternatively, a releasableattachment for holding the belt in a folded configuration may beprovided on an inside or outside surface of a belt portion.

The releasable attachments may in particular be provided in the form ofone or more releasable bonds between the exterior face of the rear paneland a portion of each of the belt portions which lie parallel to andpossibly against the exterior of the rear panel. Alternatively, thereleasable attachments may be provided in such a manner that a firstbelt portion is directly releasably attached to the exterior surface ofthe rear panel, while a second belt portion overlies the first beltportion and is releasably attached to the outer surface of said firstbelt portion. The bonds may preferably be provided in the form ofadhesive bonds or welds such as ultrasound or hot-melt welds althoughother possibilities exist. They may be arranged as single location bondsor as multiple bonds. The bonds forming the releasable attachments maybe may be spot-bonds. Any releasable attachment may preferably bedestroyed upon being released. Alternatively, releasable attachments maybe re-attachable. They may be arranged in a pattern, for example in apattern of spot bonds. Respective releasable attachments may be providedat one or more locations along the length of a respective belt portion.In the aforementioned folded configuration of a belt portion, a foldline is intended to be oriented in a direction generally parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the absorbent article such as lie between a firstreleasable attachment and a second releasable attachment, as seen in alongitudinal direction of each belt portion.

Other suitable materials may be used for the releasable attachment(s) onthe belt portion. Such material may include adhesive applied to one orboth faces of the belt portion to be attached. Alternatively, theattachment may comprise adhesive tape applied to one or both surfaces,or mechanical fastening means applied to one or both surfaces. Forexample, the attachment may be comprised of a hook and loop typefastener, or it may be comprised of a mechanical fastening means appliedto one surface only, which may attach to a belt portion made from anonwoven material. It may additionally be any combination of attachmentsas mentioned herein.

The force needed to separate or release the releasable attachment maypreferably be no more than the force which may be readily exerted by thefingers of a user. Nevertheless, in a retracted or folded configurationof the belt portion, in which an attachment is in an attached condition,i.e. intact, the respective attachments should be sufficiently resilientto be capable of withstanding extension forces exerted by a user whileputting on the garment, and any forces exerted during normal use, byvirtue of being under some tension around a wearer's waist.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the releasable attachment ofeach belt portion may be provided in the form of a first releasableattachment and a second releasable attachment. In such a case, eachsecond releasable attachment may hold the respective belt portions in afurther folded configuration in which a distal end region of each beltportion is releasably secured against another part of that same beltportion. In this way, upon release of the first and second releasableattachments, a secondary extended configuration of respective said beltportions is formed. By this, it is meant that the respective beltportions may be increased in length to a first extended length uponrelease of the first releasable attachment, and to a second, evengreater length, by the release of the second releasable attachment.

When belt portions are provided with first and second releasableattachments, the belt portions may be used for creating the slip-typeconfiguration of the garment, by releasing only the first releasableattachments and without releasing the second releasable attachments atthe distal end regions of the respective belt portions. Such a slipconfiguration may be formed by bringing fasteners, arranged, forexample, on the front panel of the absorbent article, which may bearranged at respective opposing lateral regions thereof, into engagementwith each one of a first and second belt means in a first extendedconfiguration thereof. Provision of belt means in a folded configurationmay allow a greater length of belt to be stored, for example on a rearpanel which is relatively narrow.

A belt-type configuration of the product may be created by releasingboth the first and second releasable attachments into a secondaryextended configuration, and by subsequently joining the respective beltportions by means of the belt fastener about the waist of a wearer, andfinally attaching the front panel to the belt thus formed.

The respective waist sizes thereby generated may be substantially equalin both the slip-type and belt-type configurations.

In particular, in order to create substantially equal waist sizes asmentioned, the respective belt lengths and extension lengths may beselected as appropriate. In one embodiment, each belt portion may beextended in length, upon release of a first said releasable attachment,by a length substantially equivalent to at least one half of the lengthseparating two panel fasteners disposed on laterally opposite regions ofsaid front panel, or by a length substantially equivalent to at leastone half of the length separating laterally opposite edges of the frontpanel In a further embodiment, the belt portions comprising the secondreleasable attachments may be extended in length, upon release of thesecond attachments, by an aggregate amount substantially equivalent toat least the length separating two panel fasteners disposed on laterallyopposite regions of the front panel or by an aggregate amountsubstantially equivalent to at least the length separating two laterallyopposite edges of the front panel

An extended or secondary extended configuration of a belt portionindicates a configuration in which the releasable attachment portion ofthe belt member is released so that the belt member has a length whichis greater than the length of the belt member in its foldedconfiguration, i.e. with the attachment in an attached condition. Theextended or secondary extended configuration which may be attained byextending the length of the article by means of the first and/or secondreleasable attachment according to aspects of the invention, is to bedistinguished from any increase in length of a belt portion by means ofextensible or elastic materials used wholly or partly for the belt orfor any of the front or rear panels. Such elastic or extensiblematerials may be additionally used in embodiments of the presentinvention.

Embodiments of the invention allow a user, when configuring the articlefor use, to easily increase the effective length of one or more of thebelt portions, prior to joining the belt portions for use, either toeach other, or to the front panel. The effective length of the beltportion referred to herein is intended to designate the length of thebelt portion measurable between its extremities, in other words, thelength extending away from a connection portion of the belt portiontowards an extremity created by a fold location—in case the belt portionis in a folded configuration or by a distal end edge—in case the belt isin an extended configuration. Significantly, the capability ofincreasing the effective belt length which is thereby enabled, allows auser to maintain a constant waist attachment circumference irrespectiveof whether a slip-type configuration or whether a belt-typeconfiguration is chosen. There is therefore no longer a need to storemultiple sizes of article, purely to allow for different attachmentmethods. In addition, embodiments of the invention allow the lengthadjustment to be made independently of any extension effects of elasticswhich may be provided at portions of the belt or at portions of therespective panels.

Advantageously, the length of a belt portion in its foldedconfiguration, measured between the connection region and the extremityof the belt portion, at which the fold line, if the belt is folded, islocated (i.e. part-way along the actual extended length of therespective belt portion), may lie in the range between one sixth of thedistance between the opposite lateral edges of the front panel, and thefull distance between said lateral opposite edges of the front panel(measured in a relaxed laid out flat condition of the panel).Alternatively, the respective length may advantageously lie in the rangebetween one quarter and three-quarters of the distance between theopposite lateral edges of the front panel. As a still furtheralternative, the respective length may advantageously lie in the rangebetween one third and two-thirds of the distance between the oppositelateral edges of the front panel. As a still further alternative, therespective length may advantageously lie in the range between onequarter and one half of the distance between the opposite lateral edgesof the front panel. As a still further alternative, the respectivelength may advantageously lie in the range between one half and one andone half times the distance between the opposite lateral edges of thefront panel. As a still further alternative, the respective length mayadvantageously be between three-quarters and one and one quarter timesthe distance between the opposite lateral edges of the front panel.

A folded belt portion having the length discussed in the aboveparagraph, may be extendable to a secondary extended configuration byreleasing the second releasable attachment restraining the foldedextremity of the belt portion, to thereby increase the effective lengthof the belt portion by an amount equal to or greater than one quarter ofthe distance between the opposite lateral edges of the front panel or byan amount equal to or greater than one quarter of the distance betweentwo fasteners disposed on laterally opposite regions of the front panel.Alternatively, the length of the belt portion in its foldedconfiguration may thereby be increased by an amount equal to or greaterthan one third of the distance between the opposite lateral edges of thefront panel or by an amount equal to or greater than one third of thedistance between two fasteners disposed on laterally opposite regions ofthe front panel. Still further, the length of the belt portion in itsfolded configuration may thereby be increased by an amount equal to orgreater than respectively one half, or two-thirds, or the whole of thedistance between the opposite lateral edges of the front panel or by anamount equal to or greater than respectively one half, or two-thirds, orthe whole of the distance two fasteners disposed on laterally oppositeregions of the front panel. In some embodiments, it may be preferable toprovide the extendable length of the folded belt portion of the order ofequal to or greater than the distance between the opposite lateral edgesof the front panel (or between two fasteners disposed on laterallyopposite regions of the front panel), up to one and one half times thesaid distance. A significant capability to compensate for sizediscrepancies as a result of different configurations of the article isthereby ensured. Furthermore, the provision of extendable belt meansallows for a better fit for individual wearers, because waist dimensionsbetween wearers can vary a great deal, as can, in time, the waistdimensions of an individual wearer.

As can be appreciated, the provision, in certain embodiments ofretracted and/or folded belt portions at either side of the rear panelmay allow for the front and rear panels to be of reduced widthdimensions, because attachment of the front panel may be made by meansof fastener means on the front panel being secured on a location on abelt portion. The respective panels need not be made of sufficientdimension to contact each other when worn around the waist of a wearer.In addition, stretchable front panel portions and stretchable panelfasteners further enable the possibility to reduce the width dimensionsof the front and rear panels.

The term panel fastener may be interpreted to mean a fastening tab, forexample a hook type fastener element combined with a tape section orfilm or laminate. In order to generate a substantially constant waistsize in the two aforementioned configurations, or for increased usercomfort, such a fastener tab may be stretchable. A panel section towhich a panel fastener is applied may itself include one or morestretchable sections. Thus, in certain embodiments, it may be desirableto provide some extensibility of the front panel by providingstretchable sections of material either as part of the panel fastenerson each lateral side of the front panel, or as part of the lateral sideedges of the front panel itself. On the other hand, the panel fastenersmay be substantially non-stretchable under loads which may be applied bya user or during use, by a wearer. The amount of the stretchability of apanel fastener or lateral edge region of the front panel may varydepending upon the type of belt which is envisaged and depending uponthe dimensions of the front and rear panels. The combined stretchabilityof the panel fasteners and/or of the lateral edge regions of the frontpanel, on either lateral side of a front panel, may be such that thetotal lateral dimension of the front panel, from one edge regionthereof, to the other edge region thereof, may be increased by at leastone third of the dimension of the front panel as measured when in arelaxed state. More preferably, the front panel may be stretchable to anextent such that the lateral dimension of the front panel may beincreased by at least one half or at least two-thirds of the dimensionof the front panel in a relaxed state. It is understood that, in mostembodiments, at least two panel fasteners are provided on a front panel,whereby each lateral edge region of the front panel is provided with atleast one such fastener.

As mentioned above, it is foreseen to use stretchable materialparticularly in a front panel in order to easily enable a slip-typeconfiguration to be created on a retracted configuration of beltportions. In addition, it may be desirable to provide stretch materialin the front panel for purposes of wearer comfort. The amount ofstretchable material, and the stretchability of the material will varydepending on the need to enable substantial dimensional increases orupon the need merely to provide for a good, comfortable fit.

Additionally or alternatively, stretchable material may be provided inat least one front or rear panel, for example in a central regionthereof, to thereby provide extensibility in a lateral direction ofrespective said panel. Preferably, the front panel may be stretchable toan extent such that the lateral dimension of the front panel may beincreased by at least one quarter or at least one third of the dimensionof the front panel in a relaxed state. More preferably, the front panelmay be stretchable to an extent such that the lateral dimension of thefront panel may be increased by at least one half or at least two-thirdsof the dimension of the front panel in a relaxed state. In some cases itmay be desirable for the panel fasteners to be substantiallynon-stretchable, in particular, where sufficient stretchability isprovided in one or both of the front and rear panels.

Stretchable material segments provided for allowing substantialextension of the dimension of the front panel, including the lateraledge regions thereof should preferably be extensible to 10% elongationunder a force of between 45-250 g/25 mm as measured by test ASTM D-882.Preferably, the force required lies between 55-210 g/25 mm, stillpreferably between 65-180 g/25 mm, still preferably between 75-150 g/25mm, still preferably between 80-120 g/25 mm, still preferably between84-105 g/25 mm, still preferably between 88-98 g/25 mm. Alternativepossible ranges include values between 85-150 g/25 mm, or between 65-100g/25 mm.

Advantageously, the material employed may exhibit a force at 100%elongation, as measured by test method ASTM D-882 of between 200-550g/25 mm. Preferably, the said force required for 100% elongation liesbetween 230-470 g/25 mm, still preferably between 250-400 g/25 mm, stillpreferably between 260-450 g/25 mm, still preferably between 270-400g/25 mm, still preferably between 280-350 g/25 mm, still preferablybetween 290-330 g/25 mm or 300-340 g/25 mm. Alternative possible rangesinclude values between 280-550 g/25 mm, or between 200-360 g/25 mm. Thesame materials may be used for providing stretchability in the form ofelasticity in the belt portions, in which the same stretch forceparameters may be applied.

Fasteners, in the form of panel fasteners may be attached to the frontpanel for attaching the front panel to either the belt connected aroundthe waist of a wearer, or to the respective first and second (or more)belt portions drawn partially about the wearer. To this end, fastenersmay be provided on the front panel at various places on the panel as maybe necessary. Preferably, the panel fasteners are arranged such that atleast one fastener is located on the front panel at or near eachopposite lateral region of said panel, preferably on an inside surfaceof the front panel. In some cases it may be desirable to place fastenerson an outside surface of the front panel. In this way, the attachment ofthe front panel, including its lateral edges, to the belt portions isensured, irrespective of the configuration selected by a wearer or user.Alternatively, a fastener may be provided in the form of a strip acrosssubstantially all of the front panel.

The fasteners may be releasable and may comprise any suitablealternatives known in the art. For example, adhesive tape sections ortabs, possibly covered by a release layer may be envisaged, as well asmechanical fastening means such as hook and loop tape fastenings or hooktype fastenings which may engage with fibres of a belt material, such asa nonwoven material. Still further, panel fasteners may be provided ashook type means co-operating with loop-type material sections providedupon the belt portions.

In the foregoing, it should be noted that the article is intended to bereversible. That is to say, that the article may be placed on a wearerwith the rear panel, from which the belt portions project outwardly, atthe front of the body of said wearer, with the belt members thenextending rearwardly, either wholly or partially about the waist of thewearer, in either a folded or extended configuration, to be closed ineither a belt-type or slip-type configuration. Typically, users mayprefer to configure a slip-type configuration of the article with thefront panel placed at the rear of the body and the rear panel at thefront of the body, with the belt portions extending rearwardly about thewaist of the wearer. In this way, the forces needed to be exerted, infastening lateral portions of the front panel to the belt portions, maybe exerted by the arms of the wearer grasping the lateral edge region ofthe front panel and pushing in a forwards direction to place it over thecorresponding belt portion and to thereby secure it in place. A userplacing the article in the belt-type configuration may prefer to placethe rear panel to the rear of the body, releasing an attachment of abelt portion and drawing the free ends of the respective belts in aforward direction about the waist before joining them together aroundthe front of the body by means of a fastener. Also in this case, forcesneeded to be exerted in drawing the belt portions around the waist of awearer may be exerted by a pushing action of the arms in a forwarddirection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be better understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings. The drawings are intended to show examples ofways of carrying out embodiments of the invention. The examples are forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit or suggest anylimitation to the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of an article according to thedisclosure with both belt portions in a retracted position.

FIG. 1 a illustrates an alternative way of securing the belt portions ina retracted configuration

FIG. 2 shows a perspective schematic view of an article according toother aspects of the disclosure with both belt portions in a retractedposition and having stretchable means at various places on the frontpanel.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of an article according to FIG. 2 in aslip-type configuration with both belt portions retracted.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of an article according to FIG. 2 in abelt-type configuration.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective schematic view of an article according toother aspects of the disclosure with both belt portions in a retractedand folded position.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of an article according to FIG. 5 in aslip-type configuration.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the article having afully stretchable front panel portion.

FIG. 8 illustrates in detail a possible folded belt configuration havingfirst and second releasable attachments.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b illustrate alternative possibilities for configuringthe releasable attachments on the belt portions.

FIG. 8 c illustrates a particular embodiment for restraining the beltportions in a retracted configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A general illustration of a possible construction of an articleaccording to the disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 1. The absorbentarticle illustrated shows a body panel 10 (or chassis), which iscomprised generally of a crotch region 6, between a front and a rearpanel, denoted respectively as 4 and 5. The illustrated body panel 10has lateral side edges 34, 35 extending from the rear panel to the frontpanel. The article has an outer impermeable layer in the form of abacksheet 2, illustrated at the outer surface of the article. A topsheet1 is provided on the inside upper surface of the article. An absorbentcore 3 lies between the topsheet 1 and the backsheet 2. Many otherlayers may be provided. Each layer may be unitary or composite. Forexample, an absorbent core 3 may be made from predominantly a singlematerial, or from a combination of materials provided as laminates ordistributed in respective areas of the absorbent core. Many differentkinds of absorbents, backsheets 2, and topsheets 1 as well as otherlayers are known in the art for the purpose of their use in absorbentarticles. The terms front panel and rear panel are used for the purposeof defining parts of the article in relation to each other, and may, inuse, freely be placed on a wearer in a position in which the front panelis to the rear of the body of a wearer, while the rear panel is placedto the front body portion of a wearer. To this end, the absorbent core 3may, in some embodiments, be symmetrical about a lateral centreline (notshown) of the article. The crotch portion 6 and the respective panels 4,5 may be integral or made from separate elements. A longitudinal axis LOin a lengthwise direction of the article and a transverse axis LA in alateral direction of the article are indicated for reference purposes.As can readily be seen, the article as illustrated defines a generallyinterior surface which is intended to lie against the body of a wearer,and an exterior surface intended to face outwardly of the body when thearticle is in place on a wearer.

A belt is comprised of two belt portions, a first belt portion 8 and asecond belt portion 16, although both belt portions could be made from asingle piece. The belt portions 8 and 16 are shown attached to the rearpanel 5 at connection portions 19, 20. They may be made of any suitablematerial, such as a film type or fibrous material. An example of afibrous material may be a nonwoven fibrous material made frompolyethylene or polypropylene fibres. Some other suitable materials fora belt of the present disclosure, as well as a method for making sameare disclosed for example in WO 03/017904. Composite materials andcombinations of materials for the belts may also be envisaged, such aslaminar materials. A variety of nonwoven materials for use in the beltportions may be used. Examples of materials include a composite materialmade from a laminate of a carrier material which forms the outside ofthe belt and a soft nonwoven which forms the inside of the belt,intended to bear directly on the user's skin. A suitable nonwovenmaterial can consist of a spunbond material, for example ofpolypropylene or polyethylene fibres. Bi-component fibres can also beused. Another suitable nonwoven material consists of a cardedheat-bonded material, for example polypropylene, polyester orbi-component fibres. As the carrier material it is possible to use aplastic film or other suitable material, for example the aforementionednonwoven materials. The carrier material can be adapted to function as areceiving surface for front panel fastening devices shown as panelfasteners 25, 26 in FIG. 1. In the case where these consist of adhesivetapes, a plastic film may be suitable and may co-operate with acorresponding landing zone (not shown) on each of the belt portions 8,16. In the case where other types of fastening devices are used insteadof adhesive tapes, for example hook and loop materials, another type ofcarrier material is needed which can function as a receiving surface forthe fastening device in question. An important detail is that the beltparts 8, 16 are preferably breathable so as not to occlude the skin ofthe user wearing them. In order to provide a comfortable fit, the widthof the belt parts 8, 16 may be between 5 and 20 cm, preferably between 7and 15 cm.

The connection portions 19, 20 are located at laterally opposite sideregions of the rear panel, inwardly of the respective opposite lateralside edges 34, 35 of the rear panel 5. In FIG. 1, the connectionportions 19 and 20 are shown extending from the inmost extent of one endof the first and second belt portions 8, 16, outwardly towards therespective opposite lateral edges 34, 35 of the rear panel 5. Connectionbetween the belt portions 8, 16 and the rear panel 5 may be by anysuitable means 21 (FIG. 8) such as adhesive means or weld or hot meltmeans. In certain embodiments (not illustrated), the belt portions 8, 16may be made from the same material as the material from which the rearpanel 5 is made, in such cases, there may be no side edges of the rearpanel 5 as such. Respective oppositely arranged lateral edge regions ofthe front panel 4 are indicated by numerals 17 and 18.

In FIG. 1, the belt portions 8, 16 are shown in a retracted extendedstate, suitable for storage and shipping and suitable for configurationinto a slip-type construction of the absorbent article as illustrated byway of general example in FIG. 3. Such a configuration may be made up bydrawing the lateral edge regions 17, 18 including panel fasteners 25, 26about the waist of a wearer and attaching the fasteners 25, 26 to arespective belt portion 8, 16.

In FIG. 1, the belt portions 8 and 16 are each held in a retractedconfiguration against the outside surface of the rear panel 5 by meansof a releasable attachment 27. In the case illustrated in FIG. 1, twospot bonds or welds or adhesive spots are used as a releasable fastener.In some embodiments such releasable attachment means 27 may comprisesingle or multiple spot bonds or welds or adhesive spots.

In FIG. 1 a, a variant is illustrated according to which a first and asecond belt portion 8, 16 are provided with a releasable attachment 27in the form of bonds releasably joining the two belt portions 8, 16together in a retracted configuration in which they overlap at theexterior surface of the rear panel. In addition, the first belt portion8 may optionally be releasably attached to the outer surface of the rearpanel 5.

A belt fastener 23 is indicated generally in FIGS. 1 and 1 a. The beltfastener 23 may be placed on an inside or outside surface of a beltportion 8, 16.

The article may be deployed in a belt-type configuration for use by awearer by releasing the releasable attachment 27 and attaching the beltfastener 23, provided, as shown by way of example, at a distal endregion of the second belt portion 16, to the first belt portion 8. Thefirst belt portion 8 may in turn be provided with one or more landingzones for the belt fastener 23. Alternatively, the fastener may beattachable anywhere along the length of the first belt portion 8. In oneembodiment, the fastener 23 may comprise a mechanical fastening means,such as barb-type or hook-type tab, while the belt portions 8, 16 may bemade from a fibrous material with which the mechanical fastener maybecome engaged. Alternatively, the fastener 23 may be an adhesiveelement, which may be covered by a release tape. Such an adhesiveelement may be attachable anywhere along the length of a belt portion 8,16 and it may co-operate with landing zones provided at one or morelocations along a belt portion 8 or 16. Another possible fastener maycomprise a tab with a hook-type connection portion and also having anextensible or elastic portion. An example of a belt-type configurationof one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown at FIG. 4.

Stretchability of the article may be provided by providing panelfasteners 25, 26 as elastic hook tabs (not shown), or by providing anelastic portion 32 in the front panel 4. As an alternative (not shown)the belt portions 8 and 16 may be provided either wholly or partiallyfrom stretchable material.

FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the present disclosure, in whichsubstantial stretchability of the article may be provided by includingelastic materials in the respective lateral edge regions 17 and 18 aswell as, optionally an elastic portion 32 in a central region of thefront panel 4. Belt portions 8, 16 are provided in a folded retractedconfiguration, from which they may be extended into a first and asecondary extended configuration. To this end, releasable attachmentmeans 27 may be provided on each belt portion 8, 16 as a firstreleasable attachment 28 and a second releasable attachment 29. Theillustrated article thereby has a great degree of flexibility in termsof the ways in which it may be deployed for use. On the one hand, thestretchability of the elastic material portions 32 and 17 and 18 mayallow for the article to be drawn out to the required dimensions toreach about the waist of a user for fastening the fasteners 25, 26directly to the retracted belt portions 8, 16, in an attached conditionof both the first and the second releasable attachments 28, 29. Such aconfiguration is shown in FIG. 3 and corresponds to a slip-typeconfiguration. Alternatively, the belt portions 8, 16 may be deployed byreleasing the respective first releasable attachments 28 only, tothereby form a slip type configuration about a wearer (see e.g. FIG. 6)in which a lesser degree of stretchability of the front panel andlateral edge regions is required than that needed for the configurationshown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an embodiment of thedisclosure in which stretchability of the front panel is provided bymeans of an elastic or creped portion in a central region of the frontpanel 4 only. Additional stretchability may be attained by combining thestretchable central portion with stretchable portions in other parts ofthe front panel 4 or the belt portions 8, 16. Alternatively, additionalstretchable portions such as illustrated in FIG. 2 or a continuousstretchable portion extending across substantially the entire width ofthe front panel may be provided as illustrated in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7, a material which is capable of some plastic deformation atlow levels of force may be used in the backsheet layer in order toaccommodate for substantial extension of the stretchable portion 32 ofthe front panel which extends across substantially the full width of thepanel.

As a still further alternative, the article may be deployed in abelt-type configuration by releasing both the first and secondreleasable attachments 28, 29 to fully extend the belt portion into asecondary extended configuration, thereby allowing the belt to befastened about the waist of a wearer by means of belt fastener 23, asshown in FIG. 4.

As can be seen from various embodiments illustrated, an absorbentarticle according to the disclosure, may in particular be provided withtwo belt portions 8, 16. The belt portions 8 and 16 may, in the form inwhich they are illustrated, be employed for the configuration of theabsorbent article into a slip-type configuration for wearing, whereinthe front panel 4, may be placed at the rear of a wearer's waist, withthe fasteners 25, 26 provided by way of example at lateral edge regions17, 18 of the panel 4, and on an internal surface thereof, being broughtforwards about the wearer and secured against a corresponding beltportion 8, 16. One or more fasteners 25, and 26 may additionally oralternatively be provided on the external surface of the panel 4 (notshown). Alternatively, fasteners 25, 26 may be provided at the lateraledges of the front panel as adhesive fastener tabs which may be peeledoff from a release layer on the front panel and attached to anappropriate portion on the belt. The belt portions 8, 16 may be madefrom a material to which a fastener 25, 26 may be readily attached. Tothis end, one or more fasteners may be made of an adhesive strip ormechanical fastening means such as a hook type fastener capable ofsecurely engaging with either a fibrous material of the belt portions 8,16. For certain types of fasteners, appropriate landings (not shown) maybe provided on belt portions 8, 16 for receiving adhesive or mechanicalfasteners 25, 26. In other embodiments, additional fasteners 25, 26 maybe provided (not shown), or the fasteners may be provided as a singlefastener (not shown) covering a larger portion of the width of the frontpanel.

Releasable attachment 27 or 28 or 29 may, according to variousembodiments, extend along a length of the belt portion 8. The extent ofthe attachment 27, 28, 29 is thereby more than local, although theattachment is releasable in the same way as the attachment 27illustrated in FIG. 1, namely by applying finger force of a user in amanner to separate the two layers. In particular, by grasping a freedistal end of the belt portion 8 nearby the distal edge and pulling in adirection to separate the layers. The releasable attachment 27, 28, 29may be provided as a weld or adhesive line, although other possibilitiesfor creating the attachment 27 exist, as already discussed. Examples ofreleasable attachments are additionally shown in FIGS. 8 and 8 a-8 c. Ascan be seen, for ease of detachment, the releasable attachment 27 may beprovided in the form of discrete bonding points at staggered locationsalong the folded belt portion. The staggered locations may each compriselines of individual bond points or they may be comprised of a zig-zagpattern of bond points. The bonds may be of any suitable type and mayinclude adhesive spots or spot welds.

In certain embodiments, a releasable attachment may be provided on therear panel 5 in the form of a retainer 39 made from a piece of tissue(FIG. 8 c) underlying or overlying at least the distal end regions ofrespective belt portions 8, 16, to thereby hold these in place againstthe rear panel 5. The tissue layer for the retainer 39 may be of anysuitable material, in particular, it may be a fibrous layer or anonwoven layer. In some cases, the tissue layer may be attached to therear panel 5 only, with the belt ends underlying the retainer 39. Theretainer 39 or tissue layer may be attached to the rear panel 5 by meansof spot welds or adhesive spots. The retainer 39 may also be attacheddirectly to each belt portion. The belt may be deployed by destroyingthe retainer 39 and releasing the respective belt portions 8, 16. Tothat end, lines of weakness 37 may be provided in the tissue layer 39,which are designed to allow release of the belt portions 8, 16 fromtheir restrained (folded) configuration. Second releasable attachmentmeans 28 may be provided additionally to the retainer means 39 in caseswhere a first and a second degree of extension of the belt is desired,or when a larger extensibility of the belt is required than can beachieved with a single releasable attachment.

Owing to the various possibilities for increasing the length of the beltportions 8, 16 and the front and rear panels 4, 5, the circumference ofthe article about the waist of the wearer in the belt-typeconfiguration, may therefore be substantially equal to the circumferenceof the article about the waist of the wearer in the slip-typeconfiguration.

Some stretchability of belt portions or parts thereof, or of the frontpanel 4 may be provided by including elastic means or by means ofpleating. Combinations of pleated or creped portions (not shown) andelastic portions 32 may also be used.

A wide range of materials may be employed for providing stretchability.Such elastic materials may comprise an elastomeric material thatexhibits elastomeric properties at ambient conditions, i.e., thematerial will substantially resume its original shape after beingstretched. Preferably, the elastic material will sustain only a smallpermanent set following deformation and relaxation, which set ispreferably less than 30% and more preferably less than 20% of theoriginal 50% to 500% stretch. The elastomeric material can compriseeither one or more pure elastomers or blends with an elastomeric phaseor content that will still exhibit substantial elastomeric properties atroom temperature. Suitable elastomeric thermoplastic polymers includeblock copolymers or the like. These block copolymers are described in,for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,265,765; 3,562,356; 3,700,633; 4,116,917and 4,156,673. Particularly useful are styrene/isoprene,styrene/butadiene or ethylenebutylene/styrene block copolymers. Theseblocks may be arranged in any order including linear, radial, branchedor star block copolymers. Other useful elastomeric polymers can includeelastomeric polyurethanes, elastomeric ethylene copolymers such asethylene vinyl acetates, ethylene/propylene copolymer elastomers orethylene/propylene/diene terpolymer elastomers. Blends of theseelastomers with each other or with modifying elastomers are alsocontemplated. Elastic laminates are also suitable for use as material inthe belt parts 8, 16. Such laminates can have one or two or morenonwoven layers which may be attached to an elastic material layer,preferably between at least two nonwoven layers. In case only a singlenonwoven layer is used in such a laminate, then it is preferable thatthe nonwoven layer should face towards the wearer when the article isconfigured for use in order to increase wearer comfort. The elasticlayer can be chosen from threads, adhesives or films. Preferredelastomeric materials for an elastic layer are olefinic elastomers, e.g.ethylene-propylene elastomers, ethylene propylene diene polymerelastomers, metallocene polyolefin elastomers or ethylene vinyl acetateelastomers, or styrene/isoprene, butadiene or ethylene-butylene/styrene(SIS, SBS, SEBS) block copolymers, or polyurethanes or blends. Inaddition, all elastomeric materials having an elasticity between 10-500%may be useful for embodiments of the present disclosure.

As already mentioned, the releasable attachments 28, 29 or 27 of any ofthe embodiments of the disclosure may be destructible (nonre-fastenable) upon separation, or they may be refastenable to extendeither or both belt portions 8, 16 to a length intermediate a fullextended length and a folded length. In either case, when the beltportions are restrained in a folded configuration, they need to berestrained at least to an extent such that they withstand a pullingseparating force which might arise, for example during shipping. On theother hand, they should be sufficiently loosely restrained so that theycan easily be detached by a user without causing damage to the articleor to the belt portions themselves. To this end, any fastening membersor means which comprise the releasable attachment 28, 29 or 27, shouldbe designed to be releasable under a force between about 3-15N. It hasbeen found that bonds or joins used for the releasable attachmentsshould have a separating strength exhibiting a minimum resistance of 3N,in order to maintain product integrity during shipping and handling,whilst user comfort and prevention of damage to the article is bestensured when forces below 15N are needed for product deployment. Theseforces are intended to apply to an absolute pulling force applied to a25 mm wide belt length in the plane of the product in a direction suchas to separate two members, i.e. at a 180° angle to the bond or joinlocation. Still preferably, the releasable attachments exhibitseparating forces between 4-ION, and still preferably between 5-7N. Aforce of 5-6N or of approximately 5N or approximately 6N may bepreferred. The bond strength may vary for belts which are wider ornarrower than 25 mm. In particular, the relationship between a variationin width and a variation in 25 the bond strength should be linear,percentage-wise relative to the strength values given for the 25 mmexample belt width and the force values given above. In other words, anapproximately ten percent higher required separating force of thereleasable fastener may suitably be applied for an approximately tenpercent increase in the belt width. A test method to be employed formeasuring the above 30 delaminating separating forces may be accordingto ASTM D 1876-72.

FIGS. 6 and 3 show an illustration of the garment in a slip-typeconfiguration, in which the front panel may be placed at the rear of auser. The connection between the belt portions 8, 16 and the front panel4 may be made by any suitable means as an alternative to the panelfasteners 25, 26 illustrated. In particular, fasteners could be providedon the belt portions 8, 16 themselves, or on both belt portions andfront panel 4.

Variants of the above examples, which are not shown, may be providedwithout departing from the scope of the present invention. Inparticular, the article may be provided with a range of attachment meansor fasteners for fulfilling the constructions and functions as per theappended claims.

1. An absorbent article having a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core therebetween; said absorbent article comprising a body panel having a longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction and a transverse axis extending in a lateral direction, said body panel further comprising a crotch region between a front panel and a rear panel, said crotch region and said front and rear panels each having an interior face and an exterior face; said absorbent article comprising a belt comprising a first belt portion and a second belt portion; said first and second belt portions each having a distal portion extending laterally from a respective connection region, at which connection region, said belt portion is joined to said rear panel by an initial attachment; said absorbent article further comprising a belt fastener near a distal end of at least one of said belt portions which fastener is capable of securing said first and second belt portions to each other about the waist of a wearer; wherein said absorbent article further comprises a releasable attachment in association with each respective said first and said second belt portion which, when in an attached condition, secures said belt portions in a retracted configuration, in which retracted configuration the distal end of each said belt portion does not extend beyond a longitudinally extended end of the respective connection region, and in which retracted configuration a distal end region of each said belt portion is releasably restrained directly or indirectly against said exterior face of said rear panel and whereby upon release of said releasable attachment, an extended configuration of respective said belt portion is formed, in which extended configuration, said belt portions may be joined to one-another by said belt fastener, wherein said absorbent article further comprises one or more panel fasteners which enable securing said front panel with said belt, and wherein said absorbent article is configured such that it may be secured and worn about the waist of a wearer in both an attached condition of said releasable attachments and in a released condition of said releasable attachments.
 2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein stretchable material is provided in at least one front or rear panel to thereby provide extensibility in a lateral direction of respective said panel.
 3. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein when said front panel is attached to said respective belt portions in said retracted configuration of said belt portions, a substantially same waist size of said absorbent article may be generated as in when said front panel is attached to said belt portions in an extended configuration thereof, when they are joined to one-another by said belt fastener.
 4. An absorbent article having a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core therebetween; said absorbent article comprising a body panel having a longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction and a transverse axis extending in a lateral direction, said body panel further comprising a crotch region between a front panel and a rear panel, said crotch region and said front and rear panels each having an interior face and an exterior face; said absorbent article comprising a belt comprising a first belt portion and a second belt portion; said first and second belt portions each having a distal portion extending laterally from a respective connection region, at which connection region, said belt portion is joined to said rear panel by an initial attachment; said absorbent article further comprising a belt fastener near a distal end of at least one of said belt portions which fastener is capable of securing said first and second belt portions to each other about the waist of a wearer; wherein said absorbent article further comprises a releasable attachment in association with each respective said first and said second belt portion which, when in an attached condition, secures said belt portions in a retracted configuration, in which retracted configuration a distal region of each said belt portion is releasably restrained directly or indirectly against said exterior face of said rear panel and whereby upon release of said releasable attachment, an extended configuration of respective said belt portion is formed, in which extended configuration, said belt portions may be joined to one-another by said belt fastener, wherein said absorbent article further comprises one or more panel fasteners which enable securing said front panel with said belt, wherein said absorbent article is configured such that it may be secured and worn about the waist of a wearer in both an attached condition of said releasable attachments and in a released condition of said releasable attachments, and wherein each said releasable attachment is comprised of a first and a second releasable attachment in association with each said first and said second belt portion, wherein said first releasable attachment serves to hold a said respective belt portion in a retracted position against said rear panel, while said second releasable attachment holds a respective said belt portion in a folded configuration in which a distal end region of each said belt portion is releasably secured against another part of the same said belt portion, wherein upon release of said second releasable attachments and said first releasable attachments, a secondary extended configuration of respective said belt portions is formed, and wherein the first and second releasable attachments are different from the initial attachment.
 5. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein the one or more panel fasteners are capable of securing said front panel with said belt about the waist of a wearer in both a first extended configuration of said belt portions in which only said first releasable attachments are released, and in the secondary extended configuration of said belt portions, in which both first and second releasable attachments are released, and wherein, when said front panel is attached to said respective belt portions in said first extended configuration of said belt portions, a substantially same waist size of said absorbent article may be generated as in when said front panel is attached to said belt portions in said secondary extended configuration of said belt portions when they are joined to one-another by said belt fastener.
 6. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said one or more panel fasteners are arranged such that at least one fastener is located on said front panel at or near each opposite lateral region of said panel.
 7. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein stretchable material is provided in said front panel such that the lateral width dimension of said front panel may be increased by at least one third upon extension of the front panel in the lateral direction.
 8. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said belt portions are made from nonwoven material capable of being securely engaged by a mechanical or adhesive belt fastener or panel fastener.
 9. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein each said belt portion may be extended in length, upon release of the first said releasable attachment, by a length substantially equivalent to at least one half of the length separating two panel fasteners disposed on laterally opposite regions of said front panel.
 10. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein each said belt portion may be extended in length, upon release of a first said releasable attachment, by a length substantially equivalent to at least one half of the length separating laterally opposite edges of said front panel.
 11. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein said belt portions comprising said second releasable attachments, may be extended in length, upon release of said second attachments, by an aggregate amount substantially equivalent to at least the length separating two panel fasteners disposed on laterally opposite regions of said front panel.
 12. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein said belt portions comprising said second releasable attachments, may be extended in length, upon release of said second attachments, by an aggregate amount substantially equivalent to at least the length separating two laterally opposite edges of said front panel.
 13. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein said first and/or said second releasable attachments are destroyed upon separation thereof.
 14. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein in said retracted configuration, at least a portion of said first and second belt portions is releasably restrained directly against said exterior face of said rear panel at a location different from said connection regions.
 15. An absorbent article having a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core therebetween; said absorbent article comprising a body panel having a longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction and a transverse axis extending in a lateral direction, said body panel further comprising a crotch region between a front panel and a rear panel, said crotch region and said front and rear panels each having an interior face and an exterior face; said absorbent article comprising a belt comprising a first belt portion and a second belt portion; said first and second belt portions each having a distal portion extending laterally from a respective connection region, at which connection region, said belt portion is joined to said rear panel by an initial attachment; said absorbent article further comprising a belt fastener near a distal end of at least one of said belt portions which fastener is capable of securing said first and second belt portions to each other about the waist of a wearer; wherein said absorbent article further comprises a releasable attachment in association with each respective said first and said second belt portion which, when in an attached condition, secures said belt portions in a retracted configuration, in which retracted configuration a distal region of each said belt portion is releasably restrained directly against said exterior face of said rear panel and whereby upon release of said releasable attachment, an extended configuration of respective said belt portion is formed, in which extended configuration, said belt portions may be joined to one-another by said belt fastener, wherein said absorbent article further comprises one or more panel fasteners which enable securing said front panel with said belt, and wherein said absorbent article is configured such that it may be secured and worn about the waist of a wearer in both an attached condition of said releasable attachments and in a released condition of said releasable attachments.
 16. The absorbent article according to claim 15, wherein stretchable material is provided in at least one front or rear panel to thereby provide extensibility in a lateral direction of respective said panel.
 17. The absorbent article according to claim 15, wherein when said front panel is attached to said respective belt portions in said retracted configuration of said belt portions, a substantially same waist size of said absorbent article may be generated as in when said front panel is attached to said belt portions in an extended configuration thereof, when they are joined to one-another by said belt fastener.
 18. The absorbent article according to claim 15, wherein said one or more panel fasteners are arranged such that at least one fastener is located on said front panel at or near each opposite lateral region of said panel.
 19. The absorbent article according to claim 15, wherein stretchable material is provided in said front panel such that the lateral width dimension of said front panel may be increased by at least one third upon extension of the front panel in the lateral direction.
 20. The absorbent article according to claim 15, wherein said belt portions are made from nonwoven material capable of being securely engaged by a mechanical or adhesive belt fastener or panel fastener. 